7 Ways To Take The Pressure Off Your Paid or Unpaid Internship

Elizabeth Benu,

In the current competitive world, a lot of graduates are looking for internship opportunities. But what happens when your internship becomes a night mare and yet you do not want to quit? How do you handle the pressure?

Here are tips as outlined by various HR professionals.

Come up with new initiatives, proposals and ideas

“When coming up with new ideas; analyze the methods that the organization uses and propose a better method. You can even offer to demonstrate through a meeting or practically doing it. As long as it meets the target,” says Vincent Macharia, a HR Officer at Copy Cat Limited.

He also adds that it would be best to take the initiative and champion those ideas that you come up with.
Remember the best things that you can gain from an internship

Ms. Catherine Kamau a HR and Admin Manager at Freight in Time Limited says that internships help you gain the real world experience and confidence in one abilities.

She says that “It is also a chance to network with professionals for references and future job opportunities,” adding that, “The people that you come across during the internship form a strong network for job search as they are already established in their careers and can provide contacts when job searching.”

Get a Job Description.
If you have an MBA and all you do is fetch coffee and water the office plants, a HR Administrator at Summit Recruitment cautions that, “An internship without a job description will see you being tossed from side to side. Every department in the office will want to take advantage of you. So familiarize with the environment and then ask what is expected of them from the supervisor or employer.”

She also says that this is an indirect way of getting a job description and that you will get to know your responsibilities therefore adding value to the company and to yourself.

If the internship is unpaid…
“Complete the internship. Note that internship assessment proves productive between 3-6 months. Ensure that you strive to complete your internship time and benefit from it,” advices Mr. Martin Githaiga, a HR Professional.

Find a Mentor.
“A mentor is someone who looks after you and is usually after your best interests. Finding a mentor will help you in learning and accomplishing what you need to do. They also offer good career advice,” Mr. Githaiga says.

Ask for a transfer or reassignment.
“Don’t worry or fear that the organization will think that you’re being ungrateful if you ask for a transfer. If anything they’ll appreciate your honesty and will take your concerns into consideration.” Ms. Sandra Mbogo, a HR Executive from Orient Insurance

Realize that a company will never meet all your needs.

“Don’t rush in quitting the job because you feel it doesn’t meet your expectations. Make due with what you have, after all no company is perfect.” Though she does caution that if you have to quit, let it be as a last resort. “If what the company does goes against your values and morals, and your feel your integrity is at risk, then maybe you should quit,” advices Ms. Mbogo

Don’t leave that internship unless it is really necessary.

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